Notes made during a stay in the Andean foothills of Argentina. — The Cordilleras rolled out like centuries from one end of the horizon to the other. In front of them, clouds veiled the snowy caps. The rain rushed down off the mountain range and into the irrigation channels. The water rose by the minute and the sound of the rushing water…

Notes I made that time I tried to live in Indonesia. — The River Gangs of monkeys strolling over our balcony on some unnamed mission. Naked Indonesians bathing in the running stream below our window. Sounds of scooters buzzing. Horns baying. And birthday-suit children splashing around while their mothers scrub their clothes with stones and soap upon a large rock in the water. Ladies In The Paddy North…

The magic, the folklore and the locker-room whispers surrounding Leonard Cohen’s “Chelsea Hotel #2". — Bob Dylan lived in suite #2011. Madonna stayed in suite #882 during the early eighties. Charles Bukowski stayed in the hotel. So did Mark Twain and William S. Burroughs. Arthur C. Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey there. Jackson Pollock stayed there as did Tom Waits, Brendan Behan, most of…

Two entirely different ways of life are crashing into each other in Morocco’s former international city. Sometimes the crash is beautiful. — Tangier is about as comfortably polarised as a city can be. The glimmering ville nouvelle is mere steps away from the crumbling ancient medina. Faithful Muslims and bon vivants each going to their respective houses of worship. The prayer and the hash. The hijabs and the knock-off Guess jeans. The…

Originally published in Esquire, issue #3151, March 23rd, 2064. — While waiting in the Austin terminal for my mono to Ottawa, I began to think. Ten years ago, this trip would’ve taken two hours. Now, it’s a brisk thirty-five minutes. Barely enough time for my coffee to cool down. I’m thankful for it, too. I hate the crowds. …

These days, I drink more Gin & Sodas than anything else. And I’ve got it down to a science. — It’s not really about quality ingredients. I have no doubt that a perfectly prepared gin & soda containing bathtub gin and no-name soda water is more palatable than a miserably prepared gin & soda made with Tanqueray No. TEN and a soda siphon. It’s in the process, not the product. …

Okay, a little over two years and whole lot more than beer — but this is a little goodbye note to Panama. — Of the four national beers in Panama (Panama, Balboa, Soberana & Atlas), the green-bottled namesake is by far the best. Though, I must admit, they all taste a bit like gutter-water and will leave you more bloated than drunk. I’ve drank Panama underwater in bromine-soaked pools and I’ve drank it…